Kohli's talent was never questioned, says Dravid

Bangalore, Sep 4: Former India captain, Rahul Dravid on Monday heaped praise on Virat Kohli for his under pressure knock against New Zealand to guide India to a five-wicket win and given the current form, termed him as the best Indian batsman at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

Dravid, who was invited by the broadcasters to join the commentary team as a guest commentator, said Kohli was the best Indian cricketer givne the current form as he has been in prolific form.

Having scored 501 runs in 5 matches this calendar year, Virat Kohli has been the highest run-scorer for India in Tests in 2012, and his consistency has impressed everyone as he has been performing very well throughout the year.

"Virat has been fantastic. On current form, he is the best batsman in the Indian team. He has really grabbed the opportunities provided," said Dravid.

Dravid lavished praise on the 23-year-old who has been fabulous since his U-19 days, as he led India to its second U-19 World Cup title in 2008, since then, he has been fantastic, very consistent.

Dravid, who retired from international cricket earlier this year said he has been watching Kohli's career graph as he was a part of the IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore.

"I have been following his career since his U-19 days. As he was a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore set-up, I have seen him closely. His talent was never questioned but he had some issues regarding mental discipline.

He further added that Kohli has learnt from his previous mistakes and has improved a lot off late.

"But I am glad he has learnt from his mistakes and has come up as an improved batsman. He had earlier issues about short-pitched stuff but he has now improved a lot," said Dravid.